How to Treat a Grease Burn on Your Hand

While oil makes a tasty food additive, having your skin come into contact with hot oil can result in a nasty skin burn. Because of the viscous nature of oil, burns caused by this substance can be severe.

If you are unlucky enough to receive a grease burn on your hand, your immediate actions can play a part in determining how quickly you recover from this unfortunate incident. By treating your damaged skin tenderly and carefully, you can ensure that your grease burn heals quickly.

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Avoid rubbing the burn. The first instinctual reaction to a grease splatter incident is to rub away the offending grease. Doing this, however, can also rub away layers of damaged skin. Dab the area with a clean, lint-free towel to remove the grease while leaving your skin intact.

Cool the burn. Burns don’t stop the instant the heat source is removed. Just as a cake taken out of the oven continues to cook because of the heat of the pan, burned skin continues to burn until you cool it. Run your hand under clean, cool water to return the burned skin, and surrounding areas, to a normal temperature.

Wrap the burn. If you fail to cover a burn, infectious agents can easily get to the damaged, commonly open, skin. Cover the burned area with a sterile gauze cloth. Stay away from anything linty, as this lint can easily stick to the burned tissue. Use medical tape to attach the gauze securely.

Relieve your pain. Taking an over-the-counter (OTC) pain remedy, such as ibuprofen or aspirin, can reduce your pain. Pop a few tablets of a pain reliever to make your burn less painful.

Leave the blister alone. Blisters are natural occurrences that ensure that your burn heals properly. Popping your blister can allow germs to enter your wound, resulting in avoidable infection. If your blister does pop, clean the area well with antibacterial soap, and cover the open skin.

Assess the burn. If your burn is mild, it will likely heal without medical assistance. Look at your burn carefully to determine the severity. If the skin is simply red or you have a small blister, careful cleaning and covering will be enough to ensure the burn heals. If you have a large blister or your burn is open, you should seek medical attention.

See a doctor. Don’t shy away from medical attention. Aside from potentially leaving an unsightly scar, failure to deal properly with a serious burn can result in infection. When in doubt, see a doctor.